Bill Pitesa

Bill Pitesa has been involved with the nuclear power industry his entire career. He worked for Duke Energy for 39 years starting at the McGuire Nuclear Station. During his time at McGuire, he held a Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) license and was also loaned to the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) as an operations evaluator. Subsequently, he moved up through management holding positions that include Training Manager, Operations Manager, Plant Manager, and Corporate Vice President. Following the merger between Duke Energy and Progress Energy, Bill held the role of Chief Nuclear Officer (CNO) responsible for the safe and reliable operation of 11 reactors.

During his time at Duke Energy, Bill was frequently asked by INPO, the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to support US and international plant assistance and evaluations. This led to review visits in South Africa, Ukraine, France, South Korea, and Germany. Bill also chaired the INPO Executive Advisory Group (EAG) which facilitated industry CNO’s feedback to INPO on strategy and execution of US nuclear power continuous improvement initiatives and direction.

Subsequent to his Duke Energy CNO role, Bill was loaned to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) in Washington, DC as the NEI Chief Nuclear Officer. This experience allowed Bill to interact closely with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and to create consensus among the US CNOs on industry priorities with the NRC.

After retiring from Duke Energy, Bill became the nuclear lead on the Board of Directors for Vistra Corp and Energy Northwest. Additionally, Bill is on the Board of Directors at Ontario Power Generation and advises SK, the second largest conglomerate in South Korea, as they pursue innovating the global energy industry.

“With my operational background and experiences, I am eager to assist TerraPower on the journey to build and safely operate a Natrium Reactor.”